Priorities + Week 7 Marathon Training

One thing I've learned from going through the marathon training cycle a few times is you have to have conviction in your priorities.

I suppose this is true in life as well, but when you have fewer hours of free time during the week because of training, it becomes even more obvious. I try not to become a complete hermit when I train, because I enjoy being social and doing fun things outside of running. But when I commit to something, I am super committed. I am taking marathon training seriously, especially because as the weeks go on, I am finding it to be one the more successful training cycles I’ve had. So what does this mean? I have to let some things go. But there are things I've learned along the way that are both good and bad. Do you want to hear about them? Okay then.

The Positives

I’ve trained my body to wake up before work and run, specifically for the purpose of being able to meet up with friends in the evening, or just lay on my couch and catch up on Project Runway. This has proved helpful so far, and I find on the days when I train in the morning I have a TON of energy the rest of the day. I make both my runs and my evening plans a priority, and everybody wins.

A photo of a happy, well-balanced runner.

Last year when I was training for the Philly marathon, I had a hard time balancing everything. I was burnt out from running all year, and my original training plan was pretty aggressive. Between running and work, I was stress city. Even when I was training for the tri in the spring, fitting in workouts 6 days a week was no easy task. I pushed a lot to the side, and focused on my training. Too much of one thing made me super stressed. But this time around? I feel great. It is the first time since last November that I’ve been able to devote all of my active time to my love for running, and I couldn’t be happier. I really try to use my time when I run to sort out my worries and let go of negative emotions, instead of letting it bring any added stress into my life (MOM ARE YOU READING THIS).

The Negatives (wah-wahh)

The reality of marathon training is that you will not be able to do everything. You can’t get drunk Friday night AND nail that 18 miler on Saturday morning. At least I can’t. It’s either a Harry Potter DVD and the 18 miler, OR getting drunk Friday and laying in bed Saturday morning while chugging Gatorade. During marathon season, I choose the former because that’s what I’m committed to. I’m very lucky to have a boyfriend and a family who support my training, because I know that my long training runs can be selfish.

While I know that my long runs can cut into weekend time, I try to adjust my schedule so training doesn't take over my life. For example: I’m going away to Keith’s house this weekend, where his mom, Keith and I are going to the Brimfield Antiques Market to scavenge for cool old knick knacks. I know we usually leave EARLY on Saturday morning to get good parking, so I chose to do my long training run last night so I didn’t have to worry about it over the weekend. Running 2 ½ hours on a Thursday night is not exactly my idea of fun, but now I don’t have to stress about when I’m going to fit it in over the weekend. Sacrifices, people.

Anywho! Let’s get down to how last week’s training went.

Monday : 6M, 3M @ Marathon Pace (kind of)

Tuesday: 5M easy

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Rest (and drive up to Portland for Labor Day!)

Friday: 13 Miles in Portland

AWESOME run. Well, awesome first half, when Keith joined me. Keith and I got to the apartment we were staying at around lunch, and strapped on our sneakers to enjoy the fresh air. Keith’s plan was to join me for the first half, and I would do the last 6 ½ on my own. We had a bit of fun.

Show-off.

Kind of showing-off.

 

VERY PLEASED.

The first half I felt really strong, despite the heat and humidity. I also didn’t fuel properly before the run. I had an egg sandwich at about 10, and half of a banana right before the run. So by the time I turned around for the second half of my run, I was HUNGRY. My clif shots and blocks weren’t doing the trick. The last few miles I could feel how drained and dehydrated I was. Plus, being by myself was not fun. I was ready for a weekend of drinking and playing.

I turned on my iPod, and kicked it into high gear for the last two miles. A little Miley Cyrus got me to do my last mile at 9:19, which I was really happy with. Then it was beer time.

Fall beer is LITERALLY my favorite thing.

And beach time.

And casual biking time.

Sunday: 4.25 Miles

Keith and I did another run on Sunday, and I was not really up for it. After a weekend of beer and fried food, I just wanted to nap. But we plotted our route so that we would end at a bar on the water. As I said before, it’s all about priorities.

Total Miles: 28.25

Here's to another week of being balanced and stress-free. And drinking all the fall beer I can get my hands on.

Week 17 – NYC Triathlon Training

2 and a half weeks ‘til race day! Eep!

Here’s how this past week has shaped up:

Monday: 1 Hour Swim at Group Training

Tuesday: 5.7 Miles of Running

Wednesday: 1 Hour Bike

Thursday: 2.7 Miles of Running

I feel pretty good overall today about where my training is at. Could be because I got some solid outdoorsy training in Vermont last week…

I DID IT.

My dad has a tradition of bike riding “the notch” when we’re up in Vermont. It’s essentially a 3-mile STEEP uphill that I did last year, and swore to myself and anyone who would listen that I would never do again. It was one of the hardest endurance workouts I had done to date.  But since I discovered a new love for biking in the past few months, I thought I would give it another chance.

My dad is one tough cookie.

This year’s trip was loads better. I rented a fancy road bike, and I REALLY enjoyed the change in scenery. My typical bike rides are either inside a hot gym or circling around Prospect Park again and again and again. There was just no comparing this ride to anything else.

I rode with my cousins and dad, and then my cousin Pat and I did an hour run once we got to the other side of the notch (the dreaded BRick of the week). I was nervous about the run because of my IT band, especially since my physical therapist told me to take it easy. I respectfully ignored his advice because I was more concerned about getting this key workout in before the triathlon.

The first 4 miles I felt GREAT. My cousin Pat is one of my absolute favorite running buddies. He makes the time fly by with good stories and advice. But by mile 5, I could feel my IT band beginning to throb again. We took some walk breaks, and then with only a few minutes left til the end, I told him I needed to walk the rest of the way.

I wondered whether I had pushed it too much, but I did some good stretching right after and felt okay. PLUS, I did some really healthy post-BRick fueling.

My awesome family!

My time in Vermont was so needed. I got lots of fresh air, quality time with my family, and even managed to squeeze in a few photo shoots.

Crazy face with Molly.

Wacky face with Molly and Pat.

Smiles with the cutest kid ever.

Separate photoshoot with my cute sis!

I got home on Sunday with a killer case of the blues, and a full-blown head cold. I immediately laid down on my couch, and watched a DVRed version of Big with Tom Hanks. That movie is not as good as I remember. It’s actually kind of bad. When did that happen?

After Big put me to sleep for a few minutes, I woke up went into an unpacking/cleaning frenzy in my apartment. Cleaning somehow energized me, and I decided to go for a short 2-mile shake-out run to see how my IT band was feeling…. And miraculously, it felt just fine.

I went for a run again on Tuesday morning… and still felt fine. And again this morning… no issues. I don’t want to celebrate yet, but I’m feeling pretty good.

Plus, I have this crazy thing to look forward to this weekend:

This is perhaps one of the tiniest races I’ve ever participated in. There were about 140 people who participated last year, and it’s projected to be about 200 this year. When I emailed the race director, asking whether there would be a “general” note sent out about parking, start times, etc, he wrote back: “Maybe, good idea. All the info is on the website.” He was also quoted in a local newspaper article about the triathlon saying that the race would be canceled only if there was “snow or zombies.” I gotta meet this guy.

I’m feeling oddly confident about the swim, good about the bike, and so-so about the run. I know it’s going to be low key, and there’s a beer-b-que following the race, so the odds of having a good race are pretty high. Check back next week for a race recap for my first triathlon! Eep!

The Open Water Swim...

It’s Week 15 of NYC Tri training – only 5 weeks left. I’m shaking in my booties.

Here’s what I did this past week:

Saturday: OPEN WATER SWIM + 45 min run

Sunday: 2 hour bike ride

Monday: 1 Hour Group Swim (I'M QUEEN OF THE WORLD)

Tuesday: 6 Mile Run (I HATE YOU BODY)

Wednesday: 1 Hour Indoor Bike (NOTHING TO SEE HERE)

Thursday: 40 Minute Swim (THIS ISN'T SO BAD)

Why all the random add-ons? This past week was filled with highs and lows. Let’s start with the craziest of them all – the open water swim at Coney Island on Saturday.

I really thought I would be more nervous than I was for this swim. Given my general hatred dislike for swimming over the past few weeks, I thought it was going to be rough. But swim practice earlier in the week was actually quite fun, and I was on my first-ever high from swimming.

My fave training buddy Meggie and I got to Coney Island nice and early for instructions by our coaches and the lifeguards. The first thing I heard when we got to the boardwalk – the water is COLD. Tropical Storm Andrea passed over New York and left just a couple hours before our swim, thus making the ocean cold and choppy. I found out after the swim that the water hadn’t been that cold in the eight years that one of our coaches has been doing TNT.

MIXED EMOTIONS.

We put on our wetsuits, and were advised to do some running before the swim to get warmed up. When we finally got in the water, and my feet were not happy with me. During the first lap, I kept my head up the entire time, since ya know, I COULDN'T SEE THE BOTTOM, WHICH IS STRANGE.  

In the second lap, I told myself to trust my months of training, and try to swim “normally.” I put my face in the water, and just swam. My face felt like ice during the first few minutes, but I started to get the hang of it. I have heard that it is really common for people to freak out the first time they swim in open water, but I wanted to avoid this. I counted my strokes in my head – one, two, three, four, five, six, SIGHT. This was also really foreign to me. We practiced sighting in last week’s swim practice, but it’s sort of silly in the pool because you know exactly where you’re going… but in the ocean, you have to make sure you’re not swimming out to sea.

We did twenty minutes of continuous lap swimming, a few other exercises, and we were done. We did it!!!

It really wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. Looking back, this swim was a huge mental barrier for me. Now that I know that I can actually swim in open water, and brave it out in less than ideal conditions, it just doesn’t seem so daunting to me anymore.

That being said, I finally decided to sign up for this puppy:

I knew I wanted to do a sprint tri before the big day, but I was a bit scared about whether I’d be prepared for the swim. During the NYC Tri you swim with the current, so you’re not actually swimming for that long (my mentor Andy said that last year his NYC swim time was 17 minutes, and in a different race with the same distance, his swim time was 33 minutes…).

The Birchwood Lakes swim is an out and back half mile swim in a lake. No current, just still, open water. But now I feel like I can do it. Plus, I realized the other night at swim practice that we swam a little over a mile in the pool (!!!!).

At least I think I did. I am REALLY bad at counting laps and meters and stuff. You can tell me if I’m totally off, but I think I read somewhere that 33 laps is a mile. (Actually, don’t tell me and shatter my confidence. K great).

So the swimming is going well (for once), and I’m pumped about this sprint tri as a practice run for race day. Yet I have been sidelined this week by a stupid tweak in my left IT Band.

I went out for 400 sprints Tuesday night after what felt like a crappy day. Everything at work was bothering me, everyone was TOUCHING me on the subway, and I just felt like a cranky troll. Normally, a good run can get me out of a funk, so I was looking forward to it. But my body felt tired, and I should have listened to that.

I felt fine during the warm-up, and even somewhat strong in the first five 400s. But during the last sprint, I felt really beat, and at the end of it my body said ENOUGH. I couldn’t slow my heart rate, and I did some run-walking to try to cool-down. I noticed some pain in my left IT Band, and by the last mile it was really hurting. I cut the run short, and harrumphed my way home.

WHY OH WHY would you do this to me IT Band? We’ve been getting along so well, you and I. Did I push you too hard? Just tell me. I’ll be good to you, I promise.

I went to see the all-powerful Dr. Levine yesterday, and he was a bit perplexed by it as well. He found two big knots in the muscle, and worked them out for me. But he advised no running for at least a week. I’m still pouting.

Especially because in one week, I will be here:

My dad, cousins and me after the bike up the Notch!
You can really see what we look like, no?

I’ll be heading up to Vermont next week for a vacay/family reunion, and have every intention of enjoying the amazing scenery by running and biking as much as I can. Give me some trails and grass, and I am one HAPPY gal. I am not going to let my stubborn leg keep me from doing the things I love. 

Highs and Lows

It’s been a busy couple of weeks at casa Kate. Cue lots of pictures of me!

Two weeks ago, I left for a work trip in Sedona, AZ. I don’t know if I’ve ever officially said what I do on this  blog (I like to keep work and play separate), but I work for La Mer and Jo Malone (part of the Estee Lauder companies). This work trip was to celebrate our sales team’s hard work, and to present the fall collections for both brands.

I prepared myself with the fact that I would have little free time and little time for sleep. I tried to fit in a few workouts when I could, which started out with a hike the morning after we arrived.

Tiny next to the red rocks.

On Monday, I fit in a “Brick” (in triathlon lingo, a bike ride followed by a run… it’s very much encouraged to do these during training so you learn how to deal with jelly legs before the race). I have been told that Arizona is dry, but I really didn’t grasp how that might affect my breathing until I got there. I was WINDED at the end of my bike workout, and ran much slower than I usually do. I am blaming it on dry air because the rest of my co-workers claimed the same thing. So there.

I also got the chance to run outside one morning, which was a highlight of the trip.

I went nice and slow, took in the scenery and the MULE DEER.

You can't exactly see them, but they have these
adorably large ears. Hence, their first names.

Aside from these workouts, my trip consisted of running around between meetings and eating lots of Mexican food. I was ready to come back and get on a regular schedule.

One more pic! I just like this one.

After eating, imbibing, and networking for a week, I felt a bit guilty about my triathlon training schedule. So the dedicated athlete in me went to the Monday night swim as soon as I returned, and the training session ended with a 30 MINUTE CONTINUOUS SWIM. Ouch. That was hard. But I did it, minus what I think was a minor asthma attack towards the end of the swim. NBD.

I also did the first run in probably 7 months that I was actually proud of.

I did speedwork! It felt so good to actually be able to run fast, and test myself. I’ve been glancing at the weekly training schedules for TNT and hiding in shame from where I should be in terms of running. I know I shouldn’t beat myself up because I’ve been diligent about going to PT and icing/foam rolling, but I can’t help but think that when I finally go to a group run, I will be at the back of the pack.

On that note, I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed in GENERAL about tri training. I suppose I should have anticipated that, but I really didn’t. I thought all of my worries would come from fundraising, which has been surprisingly easy.

(Pretend I’m not being a jerk in the next sentence, because I’m really not trying to be.) I really enjoy training for marathons/half marathons. I really enjoy running and spending my Saturday mornings running for hours at a time. This is NOT normal and I realize that. I thought tri training would be similar, but it’s much, much harder.

The actually workouts themselves aren’t crazy difficult. It’s important to start training early for a tri, because the endurance takes awhile to build up. For example, we did a few 6x100 sprints on Monday night’s group swim. This is 12 laps with only 10 second rests between every 2 laps.  It was hard, but I DID IT. 8 weeks ago I couldn’t do two laps without feeling like I was going to drown. As long as you’re diligent and consistent, the endurance comes.

I have been trying to get 5-6 workouts in a week, but for some reason, I am overwhelmed by the idea that I won’t be ready for race day. “Trust the training,” I keep hearing. Yes, yes. I know. But I’m still worried. My training feels disjointed, and my focus changes daily. Even when I’ve finished an awesome workout, I have to start thinking about my next one, in a completely different sport.

I know I shouldn’t be complaining. I am learning new skills, hanging out with nice people, and building endurance for two sports I’ve never spent much time on. Every week is a new challenge! But every week is also tiring. And as with most training schedules, there will be highs and lows, and I think I was experiencing a bit of a low. The key to fighting a low? Do something different!

I found an AWESOME spin class last week at NYHRC. The instructor’s legs moved faster than I’ve ever seen legs move, she played upbeat, fun music, and it was freaking hard. I also found out that her regular class is at 7AM on Wednesdays in Union Square, which I went to this week. Getting up at 6AM for an awesome class is worth it to me. I was lacking enthusiasm for my weekday bike workout, and I’ve found an exciting way to do it. I can feel myself going into a training high already! I’m getting my mojo back.

Puerto Rico Livin'

I was gone kids!

Keith and I vacationed for four days in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. We took the trip to get away from the cold and snow, and have sunny complexions to show for it (Keith has a tan, I have freckles).

We spent our days eating, drinking, tanning and laughing. I was surprised at how amazing the food was, and we munched on everything from fresh seafood to mofongo (the signature dish on every menu, made with fried plantains, your choice of meat or seafood, served in a broth. Amazing).

Fried plantains stuffed with beef. Yep.

I got iced by Keith. I wasn't really upset by it. It was quite refreshing.

There were a ton of highlights, and a few lowlights - The biggest issue was showing up to the hotel, and the front desk did not have our reservation. Shifty Expedia was to blame, but after a 2-hour debacle, we were upgraded to an OCEAN VIEW ROOM.

Sunrise.

Sunset.

One of the biggest highlights was the fact that our resort had a private island a short ferry ride away. And that island also had a little island off it. So we kayaked out there two days in a row because it was so darn cool.

Keith and I attempted to work out the second day we were there in the resort’s “fitness center.” Unfortunately the stationary bikes were pretty old, only one elliptical worked, and there was only one flimsy mat that was so thin I might as well have been laying on the hard, concrete floor. There were also a father-son duo using 75% of the dumbbells and attempting to have a cross-fit session, so it was difficult to get hold of any of the equipment. We were in and out pretty quick.

Unrelated photobomb.

It was amazing to get away, and my skin was SO HAPPY to get some serious sun. It took every fiber of my being to go to work on Monday.

SO RELAXED AND TAN.

In other news, the official kick-off for the NYC Tri through Team-in-Training (TNT) is today! I am so pumped to get started, meet my coaches and teammates, and figure out what the heck I got myself into. Tonight is the kick-off meeting with lots of information and some swag, and our first official training session is on Saturday.

The first session is a run, which I’ve been told will only be about 30 minutes long. I haven’t run in almost a month. It’s taken a lot of self-discipline not to hop on the treadmill at the gym, which other runners seem to be really enjoying themselves on. But I wanted to take as much time off to make sure I was injury-free for training. Saturday will be the first day back, and I can hardly wait!

I also am officially leaving NYSC and joining New York Health and Racquet. This might not sound like a depressing item, but I’ve become really comfortable with my gyms. I like my man-boy spinning instructor on Monday nights, my European techno-loving spinning instructor named Yarl on Tuesday nights, and their locations are so freaking convenient. But alas, NYSC does not have this:

I did a one-week trial of NYHR, and I really liked it. It seems like more of a community, and a lot of people seem to know each other. They’re a bit smaller, so finding an area to do strength training can get a bit cozy. But the pools and facilities are really nice, so it will have to do for now.

I also plan to do the majority of my training outdoors once it gets warm out, since that seems to have worked well for me in running in the past. It’s been 3 ½ months since I’ve been on any kind of training schedule, so I was literally GIDDY when I opened up an email from my coach earlier to find March’s training plan:

I don’t really know what most of it means yet, but I’m SUPER PUMPED. And scared. But mostly pumped.

Lots of Good Food & A (Very) Hilly Run

Today’s Workout  – 5 Miles, Hills

I spent this past weekend tapping into some childhood happiness at New England’s State Fair called the Big E.

An omen of great things to come.

Keith’s family and I headed up Saturday morning bright and early to the fair that took place in West Springfield, MA.

We grabbed some yummy breakfast sandwiches, and then started through the fair. The Big E is sort of a mini-town – beyond the typical fair staples of food stands and carnival rides, they have replicas of the state houses for each New England state that you can walk through and explore. Each state house was full of food and trinkets that locals make (Vermont – Maple Syrup, Massachusetts – Lobster Rolls… you get the picture). I grabbed every sample of cheese and fudge I could get my hands on.

Mmm mini pies.
Perhaps the only item I didn't consume that day.

Cool old car!

We filled up on Harpoon Oktoberfest (there are few things in life I love more than fall beer), saw the New England rednecks out in droves, and made our way over to the “Farm-a-Rama.” There were baby chicks hatching, a mama and baby alpaca, Clydesdale horses, and baby pigs!!!

Cute lil spotted pig. I want to take you home.

I retract my previous statement. There are few things in life I love more
than watching baby pigs climbing over each other to get to their mama.

There were also lots of fun trinkets you could buy – everything from puppets to jewelry to cute little Halloween decorations. I had to refrain on a few things, but I did walk away with a block of Vermont cheddar cheese and a pez dispenser.

Keith found me a beautiful hat.

Excitement after ordering a "large" kettle popcorn 

I took a little catnap on the ride home – probably my body’s way of preparing for the nine miles I had to run after a day of walking, drinking, and eating. So after a little hydration and procrastinating, I hit the road for my long run around Keith’s hilly neighborhood.

Hilly. F-ing. Run.

I know the roads around Keith’s house pretty well, since I almost always fit in a run when we visit his parents. I wanted to try a different route, and one that wouldn’t force me to make two loops (it’s mentally easier for me to finish a run when I don’t pass home halfway through). I was trucking along, feeling pretty good, and suddenly realized I had no idea where I was. Luckily, a somewhat-friendly man walking his dog was around the bend from me, and I asked him for directions. Normally I hate being lost, but it was oddly exhilarating. And there’s comfort in knowing that if you simply turn around, you can follow the route you just took home…

This was my longest run in awhile. Not going to lie, I was completely wiped by the end. I tried to keep in mind that I was running an incredibly hilly route, and my pre-run fuel of cider donuts and beer probably didn’t help any. But once it was over, I decided to see it as a confidence boost that I could successfully run all those crazy inclines.

I had an amazing meal with Keith’s family, watched some of the Notre Dame Football game… and was in bed at 9:30. Successful day in my book.

I did a 5 mile “hilly” run at the gym this morning. Everything was telling me to stay in bed since the sky was dark with rain clouds, but I dragged myself out of bed and I’m glad I did it. I think the hills over the weekend helped build my endurance, because I didn’t feel like dying when I boosted the incline level past 1.0 on the treadmill.

Aside from being excited to go home and finally put up the curtains my mom made me while likely watching my new copy of the Hunger Games (thanks Kel!), today marks an amazing day. My anniversary with Keith!

Surprise flowers waiting for me!!!

(Cue icky love stuff)

So happy to be with such a wonderful person, who makes me laugh and smile every day!